The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-07-23
THE POULTRY BUSINESS.


IL 10 u JUL AdCI IIldG WHlie 2 m ar
who has invested his capital in the dairy
business never considers it a hardship
to rise at four O'Clock in the morning
milk dozen cows, with the thermom.
eter down below zero, clean out that
J number of stalls, handle the manure
feed the cows and water them, cool and
ship his milk, or sit and churn it, and
milk again at night, ending his work
/. after dark-every day, and Sunday toe
/ he will turn up his nose at the thought
Of getting out of bed at four o'clock
for the hens, or of cleaning out the hen
house every day. Yet such a man is
wiling to invest 800 in each cow (in-
ending shelter, etc., and be satisfied
With clear profit, after deducting all
expenses, of. $40 from each COW. But
slould he invest 800 in poultry, he
you'd ask for 5000 profit, Or poultry
don'tpay.' Reader, how many such peo-
PIE do You knowp Their name is
Legion" Then, again, there is belief
nat, because hen is small, and can be
found in every barnyard, any body can
keep chickens. That there is more know
ledge required than may be supposed, /
will demonstrate by inviting the reader
to visit any farm in his neighborhood.
and he will be astonished to find how lit
tie the farmer knows about poultry.
Although, when the good housekeeper
purchases fowl for the table, she for
gives lack of quality, because she pur-
chased it from an old farmer" vet--I
say it more in sorrow than in anger"
not one "old farmer" Cor young one
eitber) in hundred can tell a Ply
mouth Rock from Dominique, or a
Brahma from Cochin. Before ven
turing into the poultry business, one
must know all about it, and be able to
select the breeds that lay early, the
hardy breeds, the market breeds, and
the ornamental breeds, so us to have
some purpose in view. The feeding Of
the fowls is also Il very importanc mat
ter. You can not feed for eggs and
feed for market with the same food
and the same flock. The food that en-
ables the hen to put on flesh rapidly is
not the kind that assists them to Law
eggs. There is us much difference in n
laying hen and a fat hen ready for
market rs between COW in full flow of
milk and one that is ready for the
butcher. You must also do furious bat
tie with persistent enemies, who steal
upon you unawares and blast your
hopes just when success is smiling
upon you. The cholera laughs at your
efforts, and the roup mocks at your
struggles, while countless myriads of
lice pour in and capture your strong
holds in unguarded moments. There
is no disease, however. that can do one
half the damage that is annually done
by lice. The lice will take posses
sion, your birds droop and die, yet you
will be hunting all through the pages
of the poultry books for remedies in
stead of suspecting lice. There is
much to learn in the poultry business.
Even experienced poultrymen make
mistakes, for it takes them several
seasons to learn that turkeys, ducks.
| geese, guineas and chickens must be
separated, leach after its kind" that
young chicks can not be kept with old
fowls; that too many hens will not
thrive in one flock; that two cocks in
one flock are equal to none at all; that
fat hens 90 not lay we'll; that the pull
lets should be Matched early; that the
early moulting hen makes the best
winter layer; that top ventilation is
disastrous; that it does not pay to
"break' setting hen; that tall combs
will freeze in winter; that a hen can
not lay unless she is provided with
plenty of fresh water; that hers should
be made to work and scratch for liv-
ing; that the markets should be
wstched; that fowls should be shell
tered on stormy days; that the poultry
house should be cleaned daily. And
do not expect too much. You can no
more ''make IL living on few hun-
dred dollars in the poultry business
than you can in the dairy or grocery
business. What is claimed is that if
you give the hen rs good chance as
You give the cow, she will discount the
COW every time, and will do it on less
proportionate capital. The man who
gets up at four O'clock in the morning
and works for the hens, us he is COM
PEELED to do in the dairy, will not find
fault with the change Of occupation so
far as the profits are concerned. l
know nothing about the pleasure of
keeping poultry other than the pie as
urc derived when profitably employed
Begin with small flock and gradually
increase. Discard the mongrels and
rcpcl the claim that a barnyard fowl
will do rs well as n thoroughbred with
the same attention. You will not fail
of success. Farm and Garden. .
Lone of the things that should be in
ovarv farm hOuse Kitchen M onnni n "